SOURCES: Leftwich MCL Injury A 2nd Degree Sprain

Conflicting reports are surfacing Friday concerning the MCL injury suffered Thursday night by quarterback Byron Leftwich against the Carolina Panthers. ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen reports now that sources have told him the Leftwich suffered a second-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and voided a complete tear. It was reported last night that Leftwich tore the MCL and confirmed this morning by Scott Brown of the Tribune Review. Leftwich reportedly told the Steelers that he wanted to avoid surgery and believed he could still start against the Atlanta Falcons a week from Sunday, but a team source termed that possibility as “not likely,” Mortensen reports. The final roster moves should provide more clarity on this as the Steelers could still place Leftwich on the reserve PUP list which would sideline him for the first 6 weeks of the season. If Leftwich is kept on the active roster, it would likely mean the Steelers would carry 3 quarterbacks in Leftwich, Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch on the active roster to start the season and Ben Roethlisberger on the reserve suspended list.